System for determining position in a work space

ABSTRACT

A system for determining the dimensional coordinates of a point of interest in a work space, includes a plurality of fixed-position ranging radios, located at known positions in the work space, and a wand having a first end configured for indicating a point of interest. A pair of ranging radios are mounted on the wand. A measurement circuit, responsive to the pair of ranging radios, determines the position of each of the pair of ranging radios with respect to the plurality of fixed-position ranging radios, and determines the position of the first end of the wand with respect to the plurality of fixed position ranging radios. A robotic total station may be used in lieu of the fixed-position ranging radios to monitor the positions of retroreflective elements on the wand.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/634,055 filed Dec. 9, 2009.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This relates to a system for facilitating spatial positioning includinga work space or work site, such as for example a construction site orelsewhere. For example, when the interior of a building is beingfinished, there is a need to determine the location of various interiorfeatures, such as the proper location of walls, windows, and doors.There are a large number of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC componentsthat must be properly sited. Further, beams, joists, ceilings, tiles,shelves, cabinets, and other similar components that must be accuratelypositioned. After the construction of the interior of the buildingbegins, positioning of various components must be accomplished quicklyand with some precision with respect to the surrounding walls, ceilingsand floors as they are roughed in. Typically, it has required asignificant amount of labor to lay out construction points at aconstruction site. Teams of workers have been needed to measure and markvarious locations. It will be appreciated that this process has beensubject to errors, both from measurement mistakes and from accumulatederrors which compound as measurements are made from one intermediatepoint to another. A number of tools have been developed to facilitatethis process, although many of these tools are somewhat complicated touse, and require careful attention to achieve the desired accuracy.

Ranging radios offer an excellent alternative to GPS receivers forpositioning applications where GPS reception is not available, such asinside a building, or where use of GPS receivers is not reliable. Forexample, GPS receivers require line-of-sight access to multiplesatellites in order to function properly. This may not be possible insome operational settings, such as when work is being performed indoors,underground, or in cluttered environments.

Ranging radios, operating at ultra wideband (UWB) frequencies, providevery accurate measurement of distances between the radios, usingtime-of-flight analysis. When ranging is accomplished from multiplefixed position radios to a target radio, the relative, three-dimensionalposition of the target radio is accomplished through trilateration. Toperform a range measurement, an originating ranging radio transmits apacket consisting of a synchronization preamble and a header. The headercontains the range command with the address of the destination radiothat is requested to respond to the packet. The originating radio resetsits main counter at the time of this transmission, establishing a localtime-zero reference. When the destination ranging radio receives therange request addressed to it, it records the time of receipt, andreplies with its own packet, including the time of receipt and the timeof the responding transmission in the header. The originating radioreceives the ranging packet back from the destination radio, records itstime of receipt and latches its main counter. The range value is thencalculated and recorded, utilizing the time information to compensatefor the differences in the timing clocks at the two radios.

It is desirable to provide an improved system using ranging radios todetermine various positions at a work site. A difficulty arises,however, in that a ranging radio may not operate properly throughout awork site, especially if positioned close to a metal surface or beam, orcompletely or partially shielded from the fixed, reference rangingradios. Further, it is sometimes desirable to be able to determine theposition of a point that is not easily accessible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system for determining the dimensional coordinates of a point ofinterest in a work space, includes a plurality of fixed position rangingradios located at known positions in the work space, and a wand having afirst end configured for indicating a point of interest. A pair ofranging radios are mounted on the wand. A first ranging radio mounted onthe wand is spaced from the first end of the wand by a first distance,and a second ranging radio mounted on the wand is spaced from the firstranging radio by a second distance. A measurement circuit, responsive tothe pair of ranging radios, determines the position of each of the pairof ranging radios with respect to the plurality of fixed positionranging radios. The measurement circuit determines the position of thefirst end of the wand with respect to the plurality of fixed positionranging radios.

The first and second distances may be substantially equal. The wand mayinclude a handle portion to facilitate the use of the wand by a user.The plurality of fixed position ranging radios may comprise at leastfour ranging radios. The wand may further include a marking element atthe first end for marking on a surface. A display is responsive to themeasurement circuit for indicating to a user the location of the firstend of the wand. The measurement circuit may be responsive to a userinput to permit the user to specify a desired position for the first endof the wand. The system may further comprise a display, responsive tothe measurement circuit, for indicating the movement of the wand neededto move the first end of the wand to the desired position.

A system for determining the dimensional coordinates of a point ofinterest in a work space includes a device for measuring the positionsof reference elements in the work space, and a wand having a first endconfigured for indicating a point of interest. A pair of referenceelements is mounted on the wand. The first reference element is spacedfrom the first end of the wand by a first distance, and the secondreference element is spaced from the first reference element by a seconddistance. A measurement circuit determines the position of the first endof the wand in the work space based on the positions of the pair ofreference elements in the workplace.

The first and second distances may be substantially equal. The wand mayinclude a handle portion to facilitate the use of the wand by a user.The device for measuring the positions of the reference elements maycomprise a robotic total station. The reference elements may compriseauto-reflective elements. The wand may further include a marking elementat the first end for marking on a surface. The system may furthercomprise a display, responsive to the measurement circuit, forindicating to a user the location of the first end of the wand. Themeasurement circuit is responsive to a user input to permit the user tospecify a desired position for the first end of the wand. The systemfurther includes a display, responsive to the measurement circuit, forindicating the movement of the wand needed to move the first end of thewand to the desired position. The robotic total station may ditherbetween the two auto-reflective elements so as to determine thepositions of the two auto-reflective elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the wand and the pair of rangingradios mounted on the wand;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the wand of FIG. 1, being used withfour fixed-position ranging radios;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of circuitry used in the system; and

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the wand having retroreflectiveelements in use with a robotic total station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-3 collectively illustrate a first embodiment of the system fordetermining the three dimensional coordinates of a point of interest ina work space. The system includes a wand 10 having a first end 12configured to indicate a point of interest. The first end 12 may have apointer element 14 that extends from the wand 10, as shown in FIG. 1.The wand 10 may further include a handle portion 16 to facilitate theuse of the wand 10 by a user. As will be explained more fully, below, auser holds the wand 10 by handle portion 16 and manually positions thefirst end 12 of the wand so that the pointer element 14 is located at apoint of interest. For example, the pointer element 14 may be touched toa point on a floor, wall, or ceiling so that the three-dimensionalcoordinates of that point can be determined.

The system further includes a plurality of fixed position ranging radios18, 20, 22 and 24 (FIG. 2) which are located at known positions at thework space. These positions can be determined through any knownsurveying or measurement technique. Since the point of interestlocations throughout the work space are determined from trilaterationcalculations with respect to the fixed position ranging radios, it ispreferable that these fixed position ranging radios be widely dispersedat the work space to optimize accuracy. Trilateration is a method fordetermining the intersections of four spherical surfaces, given thelocations of the centers and the length of the four spheres. In thepresent case, the locations of the fixed position ranging radios definethe centers of four spheres, and the distance from each ranging radio toa movable ranging radio defines the radius of each sphere. When thedistance from a fixed ranging radio to a point of interest is known, thepoint of interest will necessarily lie somewhere on a spherical surfacehaving a center at the ranging radio, and having a radius equal to thedistance. If such distances are determined with respect to all four ofthe ranging radios, the spherical surfaces that are defined willintersect at the point of interest. Accurate position determination foreach of the fixed position ranging radios 18, 20, 22 and 24 is thereforeimportant for accurate operation of the system.

A pair of ranging radios is mounted on the wand 10. A first rangingradio 30 is spaced from the first end 12 by a first distance L₁, and asecond ranging radio 32 is spaced from the first ranging radio 30 by asecond distance L₂.

Reference is made to FIG. 2, in which the coordinates of ranging radio30 are X₁, Y₁, and Z₁, the coordinates of ranging radio 32 are X₂, Y₂,and Z₂, and the coordinates of pointer element 14 at the end 12 of thewand 10 are X_(P), Y_(P), and Z_(P). Ranging radios 30 and 32 lie on acommon line with pointer element 14, as indicated by the dashed line inFIG. 1. It will be apparent from a review of FIG. 2, that

(X ₂ −X ₁)/L ₂=(X ₁ −X _(P))/L ₁ and

X_(P) =X ₁+(L ₁ /L ₂)(X ₁ −X ₂).

Similarly,

Y _(P) =Y ₁+(L ₁ /L ₂)(Y ₁ −Y ₂), and

Z _(P) =Z ₁+(L ₁ /L ₂)(Z ₁ −Z ₂).

If L₁=L₂, then these relationships simplify even further to

X _(P)=2X ₁ −X ₂,

Y _(P)=2Y ₁ −Y ₂, and

Z _(P)=2Z ₁ −Z ₂.

Thus, if the three-dimensional coordinates of the two ranging radios 30and 32 are determined, the three-dimensional coordinates of the pointerelement 14 is also known. The coordinates of ranging radios 30 and 32are determined by use of the fixed position ranging radios 18, 20, 22and 24, as described below.

The system further includes a measurement circuit 40 (FIG. 3) which isresponsive to the pair of ranging radios 30 and 32. Circuit 40determines the position of each of the ranging radios 30 and 32 withrespect to the plurality of fixed position ranging radios 18, 20, 22,and 24 using trilateration analysis. The circuit 40 then determines thethree-dimensional coordinates of the first end 12 and, morespecifically, the three-dimensional coordinates of the pointer element14, with respect to the plurality of fixed position ranging radios 18,20, 22, and 24. The measurement circuit 40 receives the coordinates ofthe ranging radios 18, 20, 22, and 24 through a manual input at 42, orby any other appropriate means. As will also be noted in FIG. 3, aninput 44 is also provided for inputting a desired position. An operatordisplay 46 is responsive to the measurement circuit 40. The componentsof FIG. 3 may be integral with the wand 10, or may be packagedseparately, and carried separately by the user of the system. Further,the ranging radios 30 and 32 are shown in FIG. 3 as being directlyconnected to the measurement circuit 40, but may alternatively beconnected via a radio link, or other wireless link.

In use, the fixed ranging radios 18, 20, 22, and 24 are positioned atthe work place, and their three-dimensional coordinates noted andprovided to circuit 40 via 42. As is known, to insure that ambiguitiesare eliminated, the fixed ranging radios are located so that they arenot all in the same plane. The wand 10 is then moved by the operator sothat the pointer element 12 is touching a point of interest, thecoordinates of which are to be determined. When the wand 20 is properlypositioned, this is signaled by the operator momentarily closing switch48, which may be a switch on the wand 10, or a switch located elsewherewith the measurement circuit. At this instant, the coordinates of thepointer element 14, X_(P), Y_(P), and Z_(P), are determined and stored.The locations of additional points may be taken and stored in the samemanner. It is also possible to use the system to locate a point, thethree-dimensional coordinates of which have been previously determined.To accomplish this, the desired location is input at 44. The operatorthen monitors the display 46 as the wand 10 is moved, with the displayproviding an indication of which direction and by what distance thepointer element 14 must be moved in order for it to reach the desiredlocation. If desired, the pointer element 14 may be configured as asmall wire loop to which a felt-tip marker or other marking device canbe secured. By this arrangement, the wand may be moved to apredetermined position, and a mark made on a surface at thatpredetermined position.

It will be appreciated that using four fixed position ranging radios atknown positions, but not located in a common plane, permits point ofinterest locations throughout the work space to be determinedunambiguously with trilateration calculations. It will also beappreciated that if only three fixed position ranging radios at knownpositions are used, the ambiguity which results is that the point ofinterest may be at either of two possible locations. The two possiblelocations will be located above and below a plane which is common to thethree fixed position ranging radios. If one of the two possiblelocations can be eliminated in some manner, then the ambiguity iseliminated and only three fixed position ranging radios are required foroperation of the system. As an example, the ambiguity can be eliminatedby situating the three fixed position ranging radios on the floor of aninterior work site. The point of interest will always be above the floorlevel, and will therefore always be above the level of the common plane.The possible three dimensional coordinate with the higher Z dimensioncoordinate will be therefore always be selected as the point of interestlocation.

If desired, a system may be configured to determine the coordinates of apoint of interest in two dimensional space. Such a two dimensionalsystem could be used, for example, to lay out positions for equipment orstructures on the floor of a building. In order to accomplish twodimensional layout, only two fixed position ranging radios need be used.As discussed, above, a system with three fixed position ranging radioswill provide an ambiguous solution to the location calculation in thatthe point of interest could be at either of two positions, one positionbelow the plane of the fixed position ranging radios, and the otherposition above the plane of the fixed position ranging radios. With onlytwo fixed position ranging radios, the ambiguity is increased, with theposition of interest being found to lie somewhere on a circle. Thecircle will be oriented such that it is a first uniform distance from afirst of the radios and a second uniform distance from the second of theradios, with the first and second uniform distances being notnecessarily equal. If the fixed position ranging radios are located onthe floor of the work site, and if the point of interest is constrainedto lie somewhere on the floor, then the ambiguity reduces to one of twopossible points on the floor. Further, if the two ranging radios areplaced on the floor at the side of the room such that one of the twopoints can be eliminated as being outside the room, then the ambiguitiesare eliminated, and a two dimensional layout on the floor of the worksite can be accomplished.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention which includes adevice, such as a robotic total station 50, for measuring the positionsof reference elements 52 and 54 on the wand 10. The robotic totalstation is a device of the type available from Trimble NavigationLimited, which tracks one or more autoreflective elements and provides acontinuous stream of data on the positions of such elements. Thereference elements 52 and 54 in this embodiment consist of small bandsof retroreflective tape that are wrapped around the wand 10 in the samerelative positions as described above with respect to the ranging radios30 and 32 in the first embodiment. The robotic total station repeatedlydirects a thin beam of laser light to each of the reference elements 52and 54, dithering between the elements. The total station receives thereflected light, and measures the time of flight of the beam. From thisdata, the measurement circuit 40 in the robotic total station 50 is ableto calculate the three-dimensional coordinates of the elements 52 and54, and the position of the tip 12 is therefore precisely specified. Itwill be appreciated that retroreflective cubes or other devices may beused instead of the tape strips 52 and 54.

Although particular embodiments have been described above for purposesof illustration, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatnumerous variations in these embodiments may be made.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for determining the dimensionalcoordinates of a point of interest in a work space, comprising: aplurality of fixed position ranging radios located at known positions inthe work space, a wand having a first end configured for indicating apoint of interest, a pair of ranging radios mounted on said wand, afirst ranging radio spaced from said first end by a first distance, anda second ranging radio spaced from said first ranging radio by a seconddistance, and a measurement circuit, responsive to said pair of rangingradios, for determining the position of each of said pair of rangingradios with respect to said plurality of fixed position ranging radios,and for determining the position of said first end of said wand withrespect to said plurality of fixed position ranging radios.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, in which said wand further includes a handle portionto facilitate the use of said wand by a user.
 3. The system of claim 1,in which said plurality of fixed position ranging radios comprise atleast four ranging radios.
 4. The system of claim 1, in which said wandfurther includes a marking element at said first end for marking on asurface.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display,responsive to said measurement circuit, for indicating to a user thelocation of said first end of said wand.
 6. The system of claim 1, inwhich said measurement circuit is responsive to a user input to permitsaid user to specify a desired position for said first end of said wand,and further comprising a display, responsive to said measurementcircuit, for indicating the movement of said wand needed to move saidfirst end of said wand to said desired position.
 7. The method fordetermining the dimensional coordinates of a point of interest in a workspace, comprising: placing a plurality of fixed position ranging radioslocated at known positions in the work space; and using a wand having afirst end configured for indicating a point of interest, said wandcomprising: a pair of ranging radios mounted on said wand, a firstranging radio spaced from said first end by a first distance, and asecond ranging radio spaced from said first ranging radio by a seconddistance, and a measurement circuit, responsive to said pair of rangingradios, for determining the position of each of said pair of rangingradios with respect to said plurality of fixed position ranging radios,and for determining the position of said first end of said wand withrespect to said plurality of fixed position ranging radios.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, further comprising marking said point of interestwith a marking element at said first end for marking on a surface. 9.The method of claim 7, further comprising specifying a desired positionfor said first end of said wand, said wand further comprising a display,responsive to said measurement circuit, for indicating the movement ofsaid wand needed to move said first end of said wand to said desiredposition.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein said wand further includesa display, responsive to said measurement circuit, for indicating to auser the location of said first end of said wand.
 11. The method ofclaim 7, wherein said plurality of fixed position ranging radioscomprise at least four ranging radios.
 12. The method of claim 7,wherein said wand further includes a handle portion to facilitate theuse of said wand by a user.
 13. A method of determining the dimensionalcoordinates of a point of interest in a work space, comprising:communicating with a plurality of fixed position ranging radios locatedat known positions in the work space; calculating the three-dimensionalcoordinates a point of interest with respect to said plurality of fixedposition ranging radios using trilateration analysis, said point ofinterest indicated by a first end of a wand, said wand comprising: apair of ranging radios mounted on said wand, a first ranging radiospaced from said first end by a first distance, and a second rangingradio spaced from said first ranging radio by a second distance, and ameasurement circuit, responsive to said pair of ranging radios, fordetermining the position of each of said pair of ranging radios withrespect to said plurality of fixed position ranging radios, and fordetermining the position of said first end with respect to saidplurality of fixed position ranging radios; and storing saidthree-dimensional coordinates of said point of interest.
 14. The methodof claim 13, further comprising displaying the location of said point ofinterest on a display, said display is responsive to the measurementcircuit.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: locating adesired location, said desired location is input into said measurementcircuit; and displaying the movement said wand is needed to move saidpointer element to indicate said desired location on a display, saiddisplay is responsive to said measurement circuit.
 16. The method ofclaim 13, further comprising making a mark at said point of interestwith a marking element at said first end for marking on a surface. 17.The method of claim 13, wherein said plurality of fixed position rangingradios comprise at least four ranging radios.
 18. The method of claim13, wherein said wand further includes a handle portion to facilitatethe use of said wand by a user.